Combined team to line up in Sheffield show (From Bournemouth Echo)

Combined team to line up in Sheffield show

5:39pm Wednesday 16th December 2009 in

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The combined Bournemouth-Ferndown team are heading for the National Arena Swimming League Cup final in April following their third place in Saturday’s West Premier Division final at Millfield.

They are among four teams from across the country who qualified through the “virtual gala”, which uses results from all six regional finals to produce a national result.

The other six finalists qualify automatically as regional winners, although the Bournemouth-Ferndown team, swimming as Bournemouth Dolphins A, beat two of those in the virtual gala – Boldmere and City of Peterborough, respectively champions of the West and East Midlands leagues.

The full line-up for the A final at Sheffield, in lane order, is: Boldmere, Stockport Metro, City of Liverpool, Guildford City, Plymouth Leander, Millfield, Hatfield, Camden Swiss Cottage, Bournemouth Dolphins, City of Peterborough.

The Echo yesterday broke news of the qualification to Ferndown and Bournemouth coaches Tony Watson and Sam Woodward.

Woodward said: “That’s terrific news – but also an exciting challenge. After coming third in the West final, I thought we’d only make the B final.”

Dolphins last year became the first Dorset team to compete in the A final, finishing eighth out of 10 teams.

Interestingly, the top two teams in the virtual gala were current and former national champions Plymouth Leander and Millfield – the two who beat Bourne-mouth-Ferndown on Saturday.

Cardiff and Exeter qualified for the B final.

The Bournemouth-Ferndown team’s opponents at Millfield included world champion Liam Tancock, who swam the maximum five events for Exeter City, European Youth Olympic champions Ieuan Lloyd (Cardiff) and Amelia Maughan, who is still on Dolphins’ books but was one of the stars of the Millfield team, and former Dolphin and Otter Kim Rowles, a Welsh international.

Spencer Wilks was Bournemouth-Ferndown’s only race winner, taking the 10-11yrs 50m breaststroke in 43.53.

But the team achieved nine second places and 10 thirds to keep the scoreboard ticking.

Tom Kingham contributed to three second places – in the 10-11yrs 50m butterfly and freestyle (34.20 and 30.97) and with Bradley Currie, Spencer Wilks and Alex Price in the 11/u medley relay.

Fiona Hardie came second in the 15/u 100m freestyle in 1:00.88, beaten only by Maughan (58.34), who also won the 13/u freestyle.

Other individual second places came from Beth Folland in the 10-11yrs 50m backstroke (36.60), Courtney Rowan in the 13/u 100m backstroke (1:10.94) and Tom Mules in the 13/u 100m butterfly (1:02.72).

Other relay second places came from the boys’ 13/u medley team of Todd Price, Noah Vides, Mules and Mikey Kingsley and both the girls’ and boys’ 15/u freestyle teams of Hardie, Lottie McRae, Naomi Vides and Rowan and Jack Thorpe, Harry Thorpe, Jay Olenicz and Mules.

At the other end of the Premier Division, the Bournemouth-Ferndown B team – swimming as Ferndown Otters – managed to avoid last place by beating Barnstaple in the relegation final at Keynsham.

Winners: Jack Burton (13/u backstroke), Alan Wong (13/u backstroke and butterfly), Emily Freeman (open backstroke), Luke Stuart (11/u breaststroke), Phoebe Notley (15/u freestyle) and the 13/u boys’ medley and freestyle team.

The Bournemouth-Ferndown C team – swimming as Bournemouth Dolphins B – finished seventh in the same final and the league table.

Dan Speers was their only winner, taking the 13/u 50m butterfly.

NATIONAL ARENA SWIMMING LEAGUE WEST – Round three results Final league placings in brackets) PREMIER DIVISION – Gala 1 (at Millfield): 1 (1) Plymouth Leander 345, 2 (2) Millfield 277, 3 (3) Bournemouth Dolphins A 244, 4 (4) City of Cardiff 212, 5 (7) Exeter City 211, 6 (5) Taunton Deane 181, 7 (6) Swindon SX3 174, 8 (8) Bridgend 151.

Gala 3 (at Keynsham): 1 (14) Keynsham 140, 2 (15) Severnside Tritons 131, 3 (16) Ferndown Otters 122, 4 (17) Barnstaple 103.

DIVISION ONE – Gala 2 (at Bridport): 1 (9) Weston-super-Mare 167, 2 (11) Poole 156, 3 (10) Bleanau Gwent 155, 4 (13) West Dorset Warriors 142, 5 (12) Bristol Henleaze 136.

DIVISION TWO – Gala 1 (at Weston-super-Mare): 1 (1) Christchurch and New Milton Seagulls 292, 2 (2) Bodmin 256, 3 (3) Bath Dolphins 255, 4 (4) Salisbury 231, 5 (6) Paignton 209, 6 (5) Swindon SX3 B 206, 7 (7) Bournemouth Dolphins B 184, 8 (8) Dawlish 156.

DIVISION THREE – Gala 2 (at Kingswood, Bristol): 1 (7) Jurassic 214, 2 (9) Tavistock 213, 3 (10) Cirencester 176, 4 (14) Clayesmore 192, 5 (13) Backwell 173, 6 (12) Barry 96.

Gala 3 (at Frome): 1 (15) Ilfracombe 193, 2 (16) Wareham 158, 3 (17) Lydney 130, 4 (18) Cmwbran 129, 5 (19) North Dorset Turboes 120.